If you love strawberries in the summertime, then you are going to die over this Healthy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. Sweet strawberries, tart rhubarb, and a sweet crumble topping come together to create this summer treat. Oh, and by the way, this entire recipe is refined-sugar free, thanks to my friends at Lakanto and their Golden Monkfruit Sweetener.

This is the perfect recipe to make ahead of time and keep in your fridge for when you need a sweet treat. And when served with some cold, vanilla ice cream? It’s heaven in a bite!

It’s no surprise that I have a BIG sweet tooth; take one look at my recipes and you will see that I tend to favor sweet over savory. I’m the type of person who will never say “no” to dessert. I fully believe that sweets make life… well, a little bit sweeter! And I’m not going to deprive myself of the sweetness of life.

But, as some of you may know from reading my story, sweets and I haven’t always had the best relationship. As I was struggling for years with binge eating disorder, I found myself in a place where sweets were big trigger for me. My life was tumultuous, and I found myself in a place where sugar was the only thing that filled the void. It was easier to eat loads of sugar than to face my emotions. Now, I recognize that only did more harm than good.

As I’ve taken steps over the past few years to better my health and heal my body after the harm it went through with my eating disorder, one thing I’ve realized is how hard processed sugar can be on our bodies. It’s inflammatory, and can lead to bloating and/or acne, and at the same time, can be really hard on our gut.

That’s why, very few recipes that you see on here contain cane sugar; it’s not that I’m against it in moderation, but I’ve found that natural sweetness are SO much better! They add the same sweetness that you know, love, and want in a good dessert, but are much gentler on your body.

One natural sweetener that I love is monk fruit. If you haven’t heard of monk fruit, it’s a fruit that’s native to China and Northern Thailand, and is known for its similarity to sugar. In fact, it not only looks like sugar, but also can be used as a 1:1 replacement – in tea, in coffee, in baking, and more!

Lakanto makes my favorite monk fruit sweetener; all of their sweeteners are zero net carbs, low on the glycemic index, contain 100% monk fruit, and have no added junk in them. Their sweeteners match the same sweetness level of sugar, truly making them the best sugar replacement. If you haven’t tried their sweeteners, run to their website and go get some, because it’s a necessary component of this recipe!

What you need to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp

This may look like a longer list of ingredients, but I promise they are all worth it! After all good things take time (and lots of good ingredients), right? 😉 Many of these ingredients can be used for several of my recipes too, like my Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake Bars or my Paleo Peach Crisp!

Strawberries: Of course, what would a strawberry rhubarb crisp be without the strawberries?! Fresh strawberries are one of the most important ingredients in this recipe!
Rhubarb: Rhubarb is a stalk that has a tart, almost slightly sour flavor. When paired with sweet strawberries, it makes for a wonderful flavor combination!
Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener: As I mentioned earlier, we’ll be using Lakanto’s Golden Monkfruit Sweetener. I love their golden monk fruit because it acts as a replacement for brown sugar.
Tapioca Flour: You can also use arrowroot flour or cornstarch – whatever you have on-hand!
Lemon: I use the juice of a fresh lemon, but you can also use pre-bottled lemon juice!
Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is another natural sweetener that I love. In conjunction with the monk fruit, it makes for the perfect levels of sweet.
Almond Flour: Almond flour is one of my favorite gluten-free flours to bake with.
Shredded Unsweetened Coconut: Make sure that you choose unsweetened coconut to keep this refined-sugar free.
Pecans: I know that not everyone loves pecans, but I love them. If you have them, I recommend using them.
Almonds: I love almonds to add texture to this crumble, but if you’re nut-free, you can omit them.
Coconut Oil: For the crisp, I recommend using refined coconut oil so that you don’t taste a coconut flavor.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is essential to any quality baked goods!
Cinnamon: A dash of cinnamon in this recipe adds the perfect flavor to this crisp!

How to make this strawberry rhubarb crisp

Start by preheating the oven to 350° F and greasing a 9-inch square pan or deep dish pie plate or cast iron skillet.
Prepare the crisp topping by mixing together all of the ingredients, coating everything well.
Refrigerate, then prepare the filling.
Cut and chop the strawberries and rhubarb.
Add the strawberries and rhubarb to a medium bowl along with the rest of the filling ingredients. Toss to coat well.
Transfer strawberry/rhubarb mixture to the greased dish.
Take the topping out of the refrigerator, and spread it evenly on top of the filling.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Keep an eye out to make sure the top doesn’t get too brown. If it does, add a piece of foil on top for the last 5 minutes of baking it.
Serve with vanilla ice cream on top and enjoy!